CHICAGO – Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was fully aware of Michael Soroka’s velocity issues over the past month. As he communicated with the Nationals and had his front-office team dig into the situation ahead of the Trade Deadline, Hoyer reached the decision that it was worth the risk.
The move backfired on Monday night, when Soroka – acquired for a pair of prospects on Wednesday – exited his Cubs debut after only two innings. Prior to Tuesday’s game against the Reds, Chicago placed Soroka on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder strain and the team is still evaluating the extent of the setback.
“There’s real upside in Mike,” Hoyer said on Tuesday. “And we had a lot of different development opportunities to make him even better. We knew the velocity was sort of trending down. We obviously talked through that extensively. We felt like, given the market and given the asking price and given all those different things, we felt like it was a good bet to make. Ultimately, he walked off the mound [with an injury].”
Soroka said after Monday’s 3-2 loss to the Reds that he had undergone an MRI exam before his final outing with the Nationals on July 29. There was nothing alarming and he made his start as planned. The pitcher said getting imaging was another step in his and the Nationals’ search for an explanation for his dramatic dip in velocity.
Hoyer said the Cubs “felt comfortable enough” with the medical review to proceed with the trade.
After sitting at 94.4 mph on average with his four-seam fastball in June, Soroka saw it dip to 92.1 mph on average in July. It hit a low point (90.9 mph) in an outing on July 23 and that is similar to where things stood on Monday night (90.8 mph). Soroka reached back for a bit more on a pitch (91.7 mph) to Tyler Stephenson in the second inning, but pain flared and he left the game after finishing the frame.
“Look, you make a trade, there’s risk. You make an acquisition, there’s risk,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “So far, obviously, it didn’t turn out well. But there was risk in acquiring Matthew Boyd. Very similar. It’s part of the acquisition game. Risk is risk.”
To Counsell’s point, the Cubs signed Boyd over the offseason after he returned from Tommy John surgery with the Guardians in the second half last season. So far this year, the veteran lefty has spun a 2.34 ERA in 130 2/3 innings (his most since ‘19) and made the National League All-Star team.
Without Soroka in the rotation, righty Ben Brown becomes an option when that turn comes around again. Helping Chicago’s cause is the fact that there are upcoming off-days on Thursday and Monday, giving the Cubs the ability to manipulate their rotation a bit. Following that second day off, the team plays in 13 straight days (including a doubleheader against the Brewers on Aug. 18 at Wrigley Field).
“We’ve got some days to play with,” Counsell said. “So, I think we’ll get a little closer to it and figure it out.”
The Cubs also have right-handers Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad currently on the IL and each on a Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa. Assad is slated to make his next start on Wednesday, while Taillon is lined up for Friday. While they might be deemed “available” after their next outing, the Cubs do not want to rush either due to the circumstances.
“We’ll make sure those guys come back and are ready to go,” Hoyer said. “We’re not going to alter their plan at all. Knock on wood, they’re both getting close to the end of their rehabs and close to ready. That’s a good thing.”
Taillon, who checked in with the team at Wrigley Field this week, understood he needed to avoid the temptation to rush back.
“I don’t help the team if I don’t come back sharp,” Taillon said before Monday’s game. “When I’m back, we’re in a pennant race, we have the playoffs coming up, all that. I’m pretty aware of that, so I need to come back ready to help, not just to come back.”
As for Soroka, the Cubs are in a holding pattern for his timetable for return.
“I haven’t gotten the full report yet,” Hoyer said. “But obviously, disappointed. We did a lot of due diligence, a ton of research. And if it doesn’t work out, that’s on me. That’s the job.”